Snowstorm delays Washington discussion of tornado bills

WASHINGTON — Monday's snowstorm delayed the inevitable for the City Council.

The council's meeting on the three-month anniversary of the Nov. 17 tornado was postponed until 6:30 p.m. next Monday.

Payment of the latest bills for tornado cleanup remains on the agenda.

"Most of these bills are emergency-related," said City Administrator Tim Gleason. "We've been paying those bills since Day One.

"We haven't seen the bills for long-term cleanup, yet. We'll be getting those in the next six to 12 months."

That worry is one of the reasons Gleason hopes the Federal Emergency Management Agency will approve the state's appeal and provide funds to help Washington and other communities pay for the storm's damage.

The largest bill on the Feb. 24 agenda is $947,174 from Waste Management for debris removal through Jan. 31.

"It's the first bill we've gotten from Waste Management and it probably will be the largest," Gleason said.

United Contractors Midwest has a debris removal bill for $42,119 through Jan. 17.

There's a list of 10 bills totaling $166,557 for services such as tire and fence repairs and tree removal, equipment rental and a fuel purchase. Some bills are at least partially covered by the city's insurance.

Instead of approving payment of these bills, the council is being asked to ratify payment after the fact because these were considered emergency purchases.

The council has a $5,000 threshold for approval of purchases, but that can be waived in an emergency.

The 10 bills range from $5,313 to $52,045.

"Those $5,000 and $10,000 bills add up," Gleason said.

Steve Stein can be reached at 686-3114 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Read his Stein Time blog on pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.